Alberto David GM

Hi Alberto, here is some tailored feedback based on your recent rapid games

What you are already doing well

• Dynamic opening choices. With Black you steer the game toward Sicilian structures (B45, B48) and the Symmetrical English, scoring solid results. Your willingness to meet 1.e4 with both …e5 and the Sicilian keeps opponents guessing.
• Tactical alertness. In your win against Zalouche (B45) you spotted the …Nd5–f4 resource and later converted an exchange-up ending smoothly. Your eye for tactics is a consistent strength.
• Active rook play. Many victories feature doubled rooks on open files or the 7^th rank (e.g. 28…Ra2, 31…Raa2). You clearly value piece activity and coordinate heavy pieces well.
• Fighting spirit in worse positions. Even when down material you keep posing problems and often swindle back (see the …c5 break vs. Nd English). This competitive resilience is a hallmark of strong practical play.

Key areas to improve

• Prophylactic awareness in the English. Your most recent loss arose after 11.a3 Nd4 12.b4 Nb3 13…Nxa1. The pawn thrust b2-b4 created weak squares before you had fully controlled d4 and b3. Train yourself to ask “what does my move allow?” before committing. A quick mental checklist of opposing knight jumps would have saved an exchange here.
  prophylaxis
• Early pawn storms vs. fianchetto setups. Against 1…g6 you often launch h- and g-pawns (e.g. 13.h4/h5 vs. …c6 lines). This is fine, but only if you have enough pieces ready to join the attack. Review model games by Adams and Kramnik in the English to see how they prepare h4-h5 with central play first.
• Time management. In several wins you were under one minute while still in middlegame complications. Try the “30-30 rule”: keep ≥30 seconds at move 30 in 5-minute games. Practising with an incrementless 3+0 session once a week can sharpen your instinctive play.
• Technical conversion. You usually finish won endings, but sometimes choose the scenic route (e.g. repeating with 48.Rg8+ Kb7 49.Rg7+ …). Add a daily dose of rook-ending drills to convert more cleanly.

Opening snapshot to study

The diagram below shows the critical moment from your English loss. Try setting it up and forcing yourself to pause for 30 seconds before every pawn move in similar structures.

Action plan for the next two weeks

1. Play 20 blitz games starting the English but forbid yourself from pushing the b-pawn before move 15 unless the c-file is fully under your control.
2. Solve 40 positions on knight forks and outposts to become more sensitive to opponent knight activity.
3. Endgame drill: convert 10 “rook + 3 pawns vs. rook + 2 pawns” positions from both sides.
4. Analyse your own games twice: once with an engine, once without. Focus on move-choice explanations rather than just evaluation swings.

Progress trackers

Keep an eye on your performance charts and peak rating stats:

• Overall consistency:
• When you tend to score best:
• Personal milestone: 2687 (2020-11-28)

Stay disciplined with this routine, and I’m confident you’ll tighten up the loose edges without losing your dynamic style. Good luck in your next events, Alberto!